


The Perfidious Lover

by oh_amelia



Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-07-10
Updated: 2008-07-11
Packaged: 2018-12-26 18:29:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12064611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oh_amelia/pseuds/oh_amelia
Summary: Justin moves to Pittsburgh after ending a four year relationship. What happens when he meets Brian and his past and present collide?





	1. Sorry is Bullshit

**Author's Note:**

> Note from IrishCaelan, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Brian/Justin Fanfiction Archive](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Brian_Justin_Fanfiction_Archive). To preserve the archive, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in September 2017. I posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Brian/Justin Fanfiction Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/bjfic/profile).

Justin sat on the couch and looked at the boxes that had been staring at him since Friday morning. He went to his office/studio to get some scissors before opening every single box that Derek had finally shipped to him. He didn’t want to think about Derek, but he couldn’t help but think of their last conversation and the event that lead up to it. 

_He decided to come home early one Friday afternoon. He was feeling uninspired and he hated everything that came out on the canvas. He went into the bedroom and the smell of sex was overpowering. He also noticed the messy bed and the condom wrappers littering the nightstand. Justin decided right then and there to leave his lover of 4 years._ __

He knew that Derek wasn’t monogamous, but he deluded himself into thinking he could live with it. After all, it was just sex, all about the release. It didn’t mean anything. An anonymous face, an anonymous location. That’s all it ever was. But now that Derek had brought a trick back to the apartment, he knew that it wasn’t anonymous anymore. 

__

He quickly stripped the bed and put the sheets in the washer. He grabbed another set from the linen closet and started making the bed. He heard the shower stop. He could feel Derek’s presence behind him as soon as he entered the room. 

__

“Fuck,” Derek said clad only in a towel around his waist. “Justin…” 

__

Justin ignored him and continued to make the bed. 

__

“Justin,” Derek repeated. He was ignored again. “Damn it, Justin! Will you stop acting like a fucking child and say something?” 

__

That seemed to get his attention, but all he did was turn his head and give Derek a look that told him it would be best to shut the fuck up. 

__

“Fine. I’ll be in the living room when you’re ready to talk,” Derek said as he grabbed a pair of jeans and a shirt before leaving Justin alone in the bedroom. 

__

After he finished with the bed he sat on the floor and started making phone calls. 

__

The first call was to his mother. He asked if she could find him an apartment, preferably one with room for a studio, the sooner the better. Cost was not a factor. He told his mom that he would explain everything once he got to Pittsburgh. 

__

The second call was to his lawyer, Tom Edwards. He asked what his options were in regards to the contract on the Deed to the apartment. He also had many questions about his options for the division of assets. After a lengthy discussion, Tom agreed to have the documents drawn up and send a courier over in the morning. 

__

The third call was to a moving company. He asked if some boxes and packing tape could be sent over. He didn’t care how much it would cost, just as long as they would get there within the next hour. 

__

His final call of the night was to his best friend, Nathan Echolls. He wasn’t home so Justin decided to leave a message on the machine. “Hey, Nate. It’s Justin. Just wanted to tell you that I’m moving to Pittsburgh. Don’t know when, but it’ll be soon. Call me, or I’ll call you. Later.” He knew that he would get shit for that later, but at the moment he didn’t care. 

__

He picked himself up off the floor and headed to the living room. He saw Derek sitting on the couch with his feet propped up on the coffee table and a beer in his hand. 

__

“Finally ready to talk?” Derek asked, putting down the beer. 

__

“Yes,” Justin answered, sitting in the chair adjacent to the couch. “I’m gonna talk and you’re gonna listen.” 

__

Derek opened his mouth, as if to protest, but decided against it. 

__

“I’m leaving. I’m moving out. I’ll let you know where after I’m settled so you can send me what I can’t take with me on the plane. Tom is sending over some documents in the morning. The apartment. You can either buy me out of my half or you can pay me $2000 a month for as long as you still live here. Also, you can’t sublet and/or sell without my consent. And if or when you do sell, I am entitled to half. The previous ‘rent’ I receive from you will not count against it. So, I would suggest that you not choose the latter. Our money. How ‘bout we say what’s yours is yours and what’s mine is mine. Sound good to you?” Justin finished as he leaned back in the chair. 

__

“What makes you think that I’ll go along with this?” 

__

“Because you fucked up. My art might sell well, but you still make three times as much as I do. Tom assured me that if you try and fight me on this, you will lose.” 

__

“So you don’t even want to talk about what happened? You’re just giving up? Just like that?” 

__

“There’s nothing here to give up on. You checked out of this relationship a long time ago. I was just stupid and chose to ignore it. After you sign the papers tomorrow, I’d appreciate it if you’d not be around when I am. I should be getting a call within the next week on an apartment,” Justin said as he got up and headed towards the kitchen. 

__

“For what it is worth, I am sorry,” Derek said. 

__

“Sorry for what, Derek? Sorry that it happened? Or sorry that I caught you here?” Justin asked with a raised brow. “Your sorry is bullshit, Derek.” 

__

By Wednesday Justin’s mother called with news of an apartment. On Thursday, Justin finished boxing up his belongings. And on Friday, he was on a flight to Pittsburgh. 

__

Justin was about to go through the last box when his phone rang. 

“Hello,” Justin answered while looking at the box’s contents. 

“Hey, Justin. What’s up?” 

“Nate, how you been?” Justin asked while taking out art books and old sketchpads. 

“Good. I think. So, did everything get to you in one piece?” 

“Yeah, everything is fine. Derek might be an asshole, but he is a mature asshole.” 

“Hey, I was in the gallery the other day and there was this woman looking for you. She said that she was from the Sidney Bloom Gallery and they wanted to feature your work in an upcoming show.” 

“I don’t know, Nate. I’m not feeling very inspired at the moment. If I do anything, it’ll be a while.” 

I get it, man. But it’s something to think about. Do you want her number just in case?” 

“Nah. The gallery is here in Pittsburgh so I can just go in and talk with her. I might even head down there tomorrow just to get the ball rolling.” 

“Okay. Talk to you later, man.” 

“Later,” Justin said, hanging up the phone. In his hands was holding a sketchbook with “DEDICATED TO THE ONE I LOVE” written across the cover. Inside were various sketches of Derek during their first year together. Torn between wanting to burn it and wanting to keep it to remember that at one point they both were actually happy with each other, he decided to put it with the rest of his old sketchbooks in his studio.  



	2. I Do What I Want

Justin woke up early and took a long shower. He opted for comfort over professionalism figuring that if the Sidney Bloom Gallery really wanted his art they wouldn’t give a flying fuck how he was dressed. In his well-worn jeans, sneakers and polo shirt he looked younger than his 23 years. He grabbed a pair of shades at the last minute, before heading out the door.

~~~~~

“David asked me to move in with him,” Michael said as he took a bite of his pancakes.

“Already? Man, that leash just keeps getting shorter and shorter,” Brian said, sipping his coffee.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Michael asked.

“It is a bit soon, Michael,” Emmett interjected. “It has only been what, two months?”

“Yeah, and that is what worries me. I’m not ready, but how do I tell David that without making him feel like I’m rejecting him?”

“You’re not rejecting him, Michael,” Ted offered. “You’re rejecting the notion of moving in with someone after only knowing each other two months.”

“I guess so. What do you think, Brian?” Michael asked, turning to his best friend.

“Listen to me, Michael. Are you listening?” Brian said as he got up, finishing his coffee and throwing a $10 bill on the table. “You do what you want to do. If you tell the Dr. no and he gets mad at you for it, then you’re better off without him. Now, I’ve got to get to the office. My art department can’t seem to do anything right lately so I have to go in and fix their fuck ups before the meeting with Remson on Friday.”

The three friends watched Brian make a hasty retreat out the diner door before resuming their conversation.

“So Michael, where _is_ David? He’s usually here with you.” Emmett asked.

“He went to see his son, Hank, in Portland. Apparently, his ex is getting divorced again and Hank isn’t taking it too well.”

“So, wait. He asks you to move in with him and then he leaves for the other side of the country?” Ted asked, surprised.

“Well, he said that he wanted to give me time to think about it,” Michael defended.

“So, how long is he going to be gone?” Emmett asked.

“A week, two? I don’t know.  He said that he’d call tonight so I guess I’ll ask then.”

The three friends talked through the rest of breakfast before they all left for their jobs.

~~~~~

Justin went by the Sidney Bloom Gallery at 9:30 but saw that they didn’t open for another half hour, so he decided to head over to Liberty Avenue. He left his car parked near the gallery and decided to walk. He checked out the different shops and found some bars and clubs that he made a note to check out later that night.  

When he made it back to the gallery it was 10:30. There were a few people already looking around inside. He made his way to the counter where a tall blonde woman was standing. He took off his sunglasses and put them on his collar. 

“Excuse me,” Justin said, clearing his throat. 

“May I help you?” the blonde woman asked.

“Yes. I am looking for Lindsay Peterson.”

“I’m Lindsay. How can I help you?”

“Justin Taylor,” he introduced himself, extending his hand. “I hear you want me for a show.”

“Oh, yes, of course. You are Justin Taylor,” Lindsay said, a little embarrassed she didn’t recognize him sooner.

“Is now a bad time? I could come back later,” Justin offered, noticing that no other employees seemed to be around.

“No,” Lindsay said quickly. “Now’s a perfect time. Let me just get Rena up here and then we can go to my office and talk.”

Justin leaned against the counter and watched Lindsay disappear into the back, returning moments later with a petite brunette beside her.

“Okay Mr. Taylor, if you’ll follow me.” Lindsay smiled as she walked back through the door her and Rena had previously exited. 

“Please, call me Justin. Mr. Taylor makes me feel old,” Justin joked.

“Well, then by all means, please call me Lindsay,” she joked back as she sat behind her desk. “Now, lets talk about your art.”

Justin sat in the chair in front of the desk and started talking. “Okay, first things first. I don’t have any new artwork done at the moment and I don’t know when I’ll have any done.”

“That’s fine. Art can’t be rushed. It’s something that comes from deep inside and not something that can be done on command.”

“Also, as you know, I work in different mediums. Do you want to feature one style in particular? Or do you want a variety?”

“I think that Sidney mentioned wanting to do a solo show, so I am assuming that he would want a variety of pieces,” Lindsay said as she wrote some notes down.  “You know, I was in New York just last week looking for you. When they told me that you were out of town and didn’t know when you would be returning, I was a little nervous. Thankfully, your friend was there.”

“Yeah, Nate has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. I think it has to do with him never having a real job,” Justin joked.

“Oh,” Lindsay said, not sure what to make of the last comment. “Well, it was great of you to come in to talk with me about this. I know that Pittsburgh might not be the most glamorous place for some. So, are you on your way back to New York?”

“No, actually, I’m not. I relocated here about a month ago. I just asked that people not broadcast it. I know that I don’t have screaming fans knocking down my door, but I still value my privacy,” Justin explained.

“Of course, I’m sorry,” Lindsay apologized.

“No, I didn’t mean you,” Justin said as he took a business card out of his wallet. He took a pen and wrote on the back of it. “Here is my card. I put my new home and cell number on the back.”

“You have business cards?” Lindsay asked surprised.

“Very few. I am pretty particular about who I give them to. Mostly it is just clients who want me for large commissions. I’m also known to do some freelance every now and then.”

“I’ll have to keep that in mind,” Lindsay said as she handed Justin her own business card.

They talked a little while longer until Rena came back needing Lindsay’s help with a customer. Justin excused himself with promises to be in touch.

~~~~~  
   
Brian leaned back in his leather desk chair and massaged his temples. Starting his own ad agency, Kinnetik, was one of the smartest moves he ever made, but when days like today came along he just wanted to say ‘to hell with it all’. He was only 32—he didn’t need this kind of stress. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do that so he sat up straight and started making notes and corrections on the Remson boards.

Two hours later he had practically obliterated the boards with notes and rough drawings of what he wanted the new boards to resemble. He buzzed the intercom for his personal assistant.

“Cynthia, can you come in here?”

“Yes, boss,” Cynthia said as she entered Brian’s office.

“Can you take these boards to the art department and tell them to have them ready no later than Wednesday afternoon.”

“Sure thing, boss,” Cynthia said, taking the boards off Brian’s desk. “Anything else?”

“That’s all for now,” Brian said as he picked up his phone.

“Red Cape Comics.”

“Mikey. Are you coming to Babylon tonight?”

“I don’t know. David’s supposed to call tonight.”

“Well, come out after he calls. Doc probably goes to bed early, anyway.”

“Brian,” Michael whined. “Will you cut it out with the age jokes? You know, it wont be long before you’re there.”

“Michael, why would you say such things?” Brian asked in mock horror. “So are you coming or not?”

“I’ll try, but I’m not promising anything,” Michael relented.

“See ya tonight, Mikey,” Brian said and he hung up the phone before Michael could say anything else.

~~~~~

After talking with Lindsay, Justin decided to familiarize himself with Pittsburgh driving any and everywhere. Even though he had been back a month, he really hadn’t took the time to look around. He eventually ended up at his mother’s.  They spent a couple hours catching up on each other’s lives. Justin even got around to talking about Derek. He had put off telling her long enough, and was relieved when she didn’t press for more details. He wasn’t so relieved when she insisted that he stay for dinner. She really wasn’t the best cook. 

Justin arrived home a little after 7:00. Even though he’d had a long day he needed to unwind. He decided to check out the dance club he discovered earlier that day.  

Since he didn’t eat much at his mom’s he decided to order from his favorite Thai restaurant. While he waited for his food to be delivered, he decided to take a quick shower before going out. He ate his food, caught up on e-mails and even managed to make up a budget for the next month. Before he realized it, it was 9:00. He decided on a pair of too tight jeans, blue sleeveless T-shirt and black boots. He gave himself a once over before heading out to Babylon.

~~~~~ 

Brian exited the backroom after receiving a less than stellar blowjob. What was it with tricks nowadays? He headed to the bar and was surprised to see Michael waiting for him. He ordered his usual, Jim Beam, before turning to his friend.

“Michael, the doc let you out already?”

“He doesn’t _let_ me do anything. I do what I want,” Michael said, slightly irritated. 

“So what’d the doc have to say?”

“He doesn’t know how long he’ll be,” Michael sulked as he drank his beer.

“Well, no point on dwelling on it,” Brian said as he finished off his JB. “Let’s dance.”

Michael sighed heavily and followed Brian into the mass of half-naked bodies.

~~~~~

Justin had his eyes closed and his shirt tucked into his back pocket. He threw his head back and let the music wash over him. He could feel hands roaming over his torso and a hard-on pressed against his ass. Their bodies melded together and they swayed to the music. Justin wrapped his right arm around his dance partner’s neck and his left hand on his thigh. Once his dancing partner realized that he wouldn’t be accompanying the blonde to the backroom, he moved on to the next willing body.

Justin realized that it was getting late so he put his shirt back on and headed out the door. It was late August, but the temperature was still fairly comfortable. He breathed in the fresh night air before stopping under a lamppost to light a cigarette.

~~~~~

Michael followed Brian out of Babylon and to his Jeep. He was just about to put him in the passenger side when Brian pulled away.

“Brian, come on,” Michael said. “You need to get home!”

“In a minute, Mikey,” Brian said as he made his way over to the blonde standing under the lamppost. “Hey.”

The blonde put out his cigarette and looked up at him. “Hey.”

“How’s it going?”  



End file.
